Hello, everyone, and nice to see you again. How was the weekend break? We hope you found it relaxing and invigorating because that relentless barage of meetings and deadlines has now returned. To fortify yourself, why not join us for a refreshing cup of stimulation? You know, something to fire the neurons. While you ponder the possibility, here are a few tidbits to get you started. So dig in and, of course, we hope you have a smashing day. Cheers…

Once again, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is signaling plans to crack down on pay-to-delays deals. The agency has opened new investigations into agreements between generic and brand-name drugmakers that may lead the agency to sue for disgorgement of revenues. “Our goal is to bring an end to this practice by whatever means are available to us,” Markus Meier, who heads the FTC health care division, tells Bloomberg News. The agency says its enforcement efforts gained firepower last year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled antitrust law may bar deals in which brand-name drug makers compensate generic makers to delay sales of low-cost medicines.

The FDA approved a new antibiotic from Cubist Pharmaceuticals to treat common skin infections that are caused by bacteria and are often resistant to older antibiotics, the Associated Press writes, adding that the infections are generally acquired in a hospital. This is the second FDA approval in less than a month for a new antibiotic to treat such infections.

In a move to fend off Pfizer, AstraZeneca is working with bankers on the potential sale of rights to future revenue streams from certain existing drugs, The Financial Times reports. The idea is to become less appealing by eliminating access to certain future income if a takeover bid should appear, but also generate revenue that could be returned to shareholders or fund R&D.

Hospitals across the U.S. are struggling to deal with a shortage of one of their essential medical supplies. Manufacturers are rationing saline solution — essentially pharmaceutical-grade salt water, New England Public Radio reports.

The FDA issued a warning late last week that all testosterone products on the market should include in their labels a general warning about the risk of blood clots in veins, according to Reuters.

Missouri may become the third state in the U.S. to pass a ‘right to try’ law, which is designed to make it easier for terminlly ill patients to gain access to experimental medicines, PBS writes.

India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority is working on legislation to tighten pricing and would be based on models used by the U.S. the European Union, China and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, The Business Standard tells us.

And the PhRMA trade group in the U.S. has criticized the Indian Patent Controller for showing bias against drug makers in a new draft guidelines for examining patents, according to PharmaBiz.

About Pharmalot

Pharmalot explores the fast-moving, complicated world that develops and markets medicines – and the drug makers that are attempting to replenish their pipelines while grappling with pricing and regulatory dictates, among many other challenges. Writer Ed Silverman has covered the pharmaceutical industry for nearly two decades and has closely followed the many hurdles facing drug companies as they move ideas from the laboratory to the medicine chest. He started Pharmalot while at The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and previously worked at New York Newsday and Investor’s Business Daily. Email Ed Silverman at ed.silverman@wsj.com, and follow him on Twitter @Pharmalot.